PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20501, 31 August 1928, Page 12

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

NOTES FROM PRESS GALLERY. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON ( August 30. CHURCH OF ENGLAND EMPOWERING -BILL. A number of amendment* have been made in the Church of ’ England Empowering Bill, as it was returned to the LegUsative Council to-day by the special committee. In most instances j alterations are in the interests -of more j accurate expression. A proviso has been added to the clause which authorises the alteration of the formularies and the ; authorised version of the Bible, stipulatlag that the general synod is not to depart from the doctrine and the sacra- ; raents of Christ, as defined in the con- ! stitution of the church. To be valid any alterations made must in each case be ! confirmed by a two-thirds majority of the general synod after a majority of the diocesan synods have assented. • CLEARING OF NOXIOUS WEEDS. Two instances in which he' considered injustice was done by the present law .in regard to the clearing of noxious weeds were cited in the Legislative Council to-day by Mr R. Scott. He referred m the first place to the liability upon the owner on a road frontage to clear half the width of the road of weeds, and referred to cases where the owners of property had sown gorse hedges, and weed had spread across the road, mak- j ing the owner on the other, side re- j sponsible for clearing half the roadway. This, he thought, was quite unfair, and j ho suggested that the Government should i consider amending the law to put the matter right. Mr Scott also referred to the spread of sweet briar and black- j Uerry, referring particularly to the large extent of pastoral country in Otago and ; Canterbury. The Department of Agri- ) culture was doing what it could to com- | pel the owners to clear the weeds, bat there were large tracts of country to be covered, and the work was very difficult j for the inspectors. A large number of holders of pastoral rung and small grazing runs had transferred their leases to others, and he submitted that the time had come when the transfer of a pastoral run or a small grazing run should not be approved by a land board until the Department of Agriculture had certified the land free from noxious weeds, oaiticularly blackberry and sweet briar. Mr Barr remarked that the chief sinner in regard to roads was the Government itself. He maintained that community rather than individual responsibility ' should be imposed, and that an insig- ’ nificant rate per head should be struck to pay for the cost of clearing. It would never be effective to leave the responsibility to the individual. Sir Heaton Rhodes said he would place the suggestions before the Minister of Agriculture. LIGHT WINES AND ALES. Following upon the representations made to the Government by the Middle Way League a petition bearing 1036 signatures was presented to Parliament to-day urging amendment of the licensing law in the direction of substituting "light wines and ales” for the State Control issue on the licensing ballotpaper. It was further advocated that the liquor referendum should be taken for the whole of the Dominion; that local option should be done away with; and that the voting should be conducted on the preferential system. Confidence was expressed that the sale of light wines and beers would be in the direction of true temperance.